Tactics of the Enemy-Divide and Conquer

When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”-John 13:31-35

It’s been amazing how many conversations I’ve had lately, from people of different congregations, about how divided God’s Church is. There is a necessary division from some who claim to be Christians: a test of their view on the Gospel, the Holiness of God, and their regard for the Scriptures (so many play fast and loose with them, especially to support an agenda). Yet some of the division comes from individuals who are looking for excuses to leave, whether because of insecurities, wounds that they have not dealt with in themselves, a desire for power or control, or a combination of all of these reasons. People who sow division on an individual basis do so because they have a worldview they want to see inserted in to a church. When that demand is not met, they divide, nitpick the people, the style of worship, the translation used, the style of dress, and/or use Scripture to justify themselves while, at times, attempting to cause destruction on the way out. They divide over non-essentials, quibbling, and technicalities to avoid dealing with their own guilt. The other divisive nature is the congregation that believes they are the only ones with the ticket into heaven, and, whether or not they would agree, this assessment is based upon works (oh, how I’ve hated hearing “we’re the one true church” from the pulpit!). People of that mindset tend to say “How we do things is the only right way, and the Scriptures prove it!” They make surface issues salvation issues, when THE Salvation issue is that I am a sinner who cannot reconcile myself to God, and God through His perfect, Holy, Uncreated Son reconciled me to Himself when Jesus took the wrath for my Sin on Himself, paying the debt I owe, and giving me life when He rose from the dead. The Church should be united on this, and yet we divide over dress, music, and many non-essentials, and end up self-justifying in a way that excludes Christ and the Cross, though they claim Him!

Loved ones, if Jesus said “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34), why don’t we take Him seriously? The enemy is laughing at us when we can’t set aside small details and get back to being the Church! The world is looking for hope, and the local Church (note I didn’t bring up congregations) is the last great hope for the World because we have the good news of the Cross and Empty Tomb! And yet, we’re all in the flesh, not letting Christ be Lord because we want to get in to heaven based on how well we do church. We establish our own kingdoms instead of building His! We show God’s great love to the world by loving one another, and we demonstrate our love for Him when we obey His commands in spite of our own proclivities, tastes and prejudices! Our Enemy knows how to keep us useless. He divides us up, the prowling lion finds souls to devour by dividing them from the rest of God’s people!

Our hope against the enemy of our souls is by staying close to the Shepherd, and the Shepherd has given us one another for safety, comfort, and to help bear one another’s burdens. We should agree on Jesus, the Cross and Empty Tomb, and affirm the commands of Christ by following the Scriptures, not as a way to BE saved, but because we are saved! Worship has absolutely nothing to do with us, and everything to do with Him, and as we worship in Spirit and Truth, we are raised up in to His presence for the world to see. Let us, then, be united in Christ, one people bound together by the same Spirit that rose Jesus from the Dead, that He has sent to live in us.

1 Corinthians 12

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

And I will show you a still more excellent way.